


Just Guy Things

by Potrix



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Canon Compliant, Coming Out, F/M, Fluff, Happy Ending, Insecurity, Light Angst, M/M, Nervousness, Post-3.15, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-01-06
Updated: 2018-01-06
Packaged: 2019-03-01 09:03:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13291563
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Potrix/pseuds/Potrix
Summary: “I, uh.” Jack licks his lips, and lowers his eyes, staring at his hands. “I have a, uh. A boyfriend.”Or; how Jack comes out to Thirdy and Guy, and learns that his team has his (and everyone else's) back.





	Just Guy Things

**Author's Note:**

> This was written as a tumblr drabble a little while ago, and is set right after Jack's talk with Marty during [episode 3.15](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Potrix/works). We deserved that dinner at Marty's, so I wrote it. 
> 
> Dug out of the void that is my tumblr tags, polished up, and ready for you to enjoy. Hopefully.

The next person Jack tells is Thirdy. He walks into the equipment room during the tail end of Jack’s talk with Marty, sees Marty’s arm slung reassuringly around Jack’s shoulders, and actually takes a step back again, hands held up.

“I’m interrupting something, aren’t I?”

“We—“ Jack starts, then cuts himself off, and casts a helpless look at Marty, the nervousness that had just started to fade coming back with a vengeance. “Uh.”

“At your own pace,” Marty says, thankfully still in Québécois, giving Jack’s upper arm a squeeze. “But he’s going to be fine with it, kiddo. I promise.”

Jack nods, and takes a deep breath, giving Marty a small smile before turning to Thirdy. He’s got George in his corner, Jack reminds himself, and Marty as well. Marty’s known Thirdy since their rookie year, they’re close friends off the ice, and Jack trusts his judgement. Besides, they’re all supposed to be leading this team together, and Jack doesn’t want to start that off on secrets and lies, even if only by omission.

“I, uh.” Jack licks his lips, and lowers his eyes, staring at his hands. “I have a, uh. A boyfriend.”

He cringes a little at his own awkwardness, but doesn’t have time to linger on it, because Thirdy’s suddenly right there, shoving a laughingly protesting Marty away to pull Jack into a half-hug. Marty claps Jack on the back, grinning when Jack cranes his neck to look at him. “Told you.”

“He’s the one baking all those pies, yeah?” Thirdy asks as he moves back, and whoops when Jack nods. He points at Marty, and orders, “We have to have them over for dinner. Carrie’s going to freak.” Turning back to Jack, he adds, “She loved hose peach turnovers you brought last week. You think he’ll give her the recipe?”

Still reeling a little, Jack just shrugs, and stutters, “I—yes, yeah. Yes.”

“We were just talking about that, actually,” Marty says, fishing out his phone. He squints at it for a moment, then asks, “Saturday work for both of you?”

“Perfect,” Thirdy says, while Jack nods again. “I’ll let Guy know. We can make our triple date a quadruple date!”

It takes Jack a few seconds, but then his eyes widen in alarm. “What—I mean, I’m not sure if I’m ready to, you know. To anyone else?”

“Oh, right. No, of course, sorry.” Thirdy winces, looking apologetic. “The three of us usually get together for dinner once a month, if our schedules allow it, and I just kind of assumed. I’m sorry. Not that he’d have a problem with it, obviously, but it’s your call.”

Thirdy and Marty share a look that Jack, as the new guy, has no chance of interpreting. Thirdy’s mouth twitches, and Marty rolls his eyes, huffing a little, both of them clearly amused by something. It doesn’t feel malicious or mean, however, so Jack begins to relax again.

“Whenever you’re ready, kid,” Marty tells Jack. “We mean it. I can’t think of a single guy on this team who’d give you any sort of grief over this, but I also don’t know how it feels, how scary it must be. So. Take your time, alright?”

Jack knows he’s blushing, touched by their easy acceptance, but neither of them chirps him about it. He still allows himself a moment to think about it, though, to take stock of himself, of his feelings about the situation, just like his therapist taught him. “I trust you,” he says, because he does. Now more than ever. “And I want the rest of the team to know eventually, so. Let’s do this, eh?”

Thirdy pokes him in the chest. “Only if you’re sure.”

Laughing, Jack bats his hand away. “I’m sure.”

“Guy’s a huge softie,” Marty says, and bumps his shoulder against Jack’s. “It’ll be fine.”

****

*** * ***

The days leading up to the dinner are some of the busiest yet this season, which means Jack doesn’t have time to worry until he and Bitty are already in the car, on their way to Marty and Gabby’s house. Then, suddenly, his breath hitches, and his hands tighten on the steering wheel, increasingly daunting scenarios flashing through his mind.

What if he doesn’t have anything in common with the guys aside from hockey? What if they can’t find anything to talk about? What if he and Bitty are the odd ones out? What if they don’t like Bitty? What if Guy does have a problem with Jack’s sexuality after all? What if he says something to Bitty? Or the team? What if the team doesn’t have his back? Would they have to trade him? Would the public find out why? Would Bitty stay with him if he had to move across the country, or a different country even? What if—

Bitty’s hand lands on Jack’s thigh, a warm, familiar weight just above his knee. Jack glances over at him, at his small, reassuring smile, and the anxious lump in his throat dissolves, his chest feeling warm. He takes Bitty’s hand, and kisses the back of it. Bitty blushes, and Jack links their fingers together before resting their joint hands back on his thigh for the remainder of the drive.

When Jack has parked the car, Bitty leans across the middle console, and pecks him on the lips. “I’ll get the dessert,” he says as he pulls back, and then he hops out of the car, and goes to pop open the trunk, giving Jack a moment to compose himself.

As soon as Jack follows him outside, he finds himself laden with three different kinds of pie, as well as little gift bags and cookies for the kids, as a small consolation for being “date-xiled”, Bitty’d said. It successfully keeps Jack from fidgeting. He narrows his eyes at Bitty as they walk up to the door, and accuses playfully, “You did that on purpose.”

Bitty blinks, innocent like Jack’s come to learn he’s most definitely not. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, sweetheart.”

“Mmh, I’m sure,” Jack says, but he’s smiling, and calm again, which, he suspects, was Bitty’s goal all along. He tips his head down, and Bitty goes up on his tiptoes to meet him halfway, free hand—because all he’s carrying is a bottle of wine, of course—cupping Jack’s cheek.

“Are you ready?” Bitty asks against Jack’s lips, and Jack kisses him again before whispering back, “Yes. I am.”

The introductions go well, but then Gabby and Carrie drag Bitty off towards the kitchen where Guy is already chopping veggies, excitedly peeking into the pie containers, and cooing over the gift bags. Before Jack can get nervous, though, Marty leads him into the den, pushes him down on the couch next to Thirdy, and hands him a controller.

“Oh,” Jack says, “I don’t know how—“

“Neither does he,” Thirdy says, kicking at Marty’s legs as Marty tries to climb over them to his own seat. “Can’t suck any worse than him.”

Marty whacks him over the back of the head. “Shut up,” he says, laughing. To Jack he adds, “He’s just bitter because Gabby and Carrie kicked his ass earlier.”

Their bickering and teasing is familiar, at least, welcoming even. Jack finds himself loosening up quickly, especially when it turns out that he has a knack for hockey even if it’s played on a screen, not on the ice. When the others join them after a few minutes, handing out beers and glasses of wine, Jack’s surprised to see Bitty sit down next to Guy, talking animatedly. He probably shouldn’t be, though. Bitty’s good at coaxing people out of their shells, always able to sense, somehow, if someone needs a little nudge, a friendly ear, a hug, or something sweet. It had worked on Jack, too, after all.

It’s only when the doorbell rings, and Guy volunteers to go open it, that Jack realises Guy’s girlfriend isn’t here yet. He actually startles a little when he hears Guy laugh freely, something that, apparently, happens rarely enough that Jack hasn’t been witness to it until now. But when Guy walks back into the den, the person he’s got tucked under his arm isn’t a girlfriend, or a woman at all. It’s a man with his arm around Guy’s waist in an obviously more than friendly manner, hand resting lightly on Guy’s hip.

“Sorry I’m late,” he says, and disentangles himself from Guy with a brief kiss so he can embrace Carrie and Gabby, pat Thirdy’s shoulder, and then lean down over the back of the couch to smack a kiss on Marty’s cheek. “Work was a complete nightmare, let me tell you.”

“Told you not to go into law,” Marty tisks, and dodges the slap aimed at him for it with what looks like practiced ease. He gets up, and turns to gesture at Jack and Bitty. “Jack and Eric,” he introduces, then jabs his elbow into the man’s side. “This is my brother, Leo. Guy’s husband.”

Bitty waves, then shakes Leo’s hand when Leo offers it. Next to Jack, Thirdy clears his throat. “See,” he says, and winks when Jack looks over at him, “we told it would be okay.”

Leo has wedged himself into the space between Bitty and Guy, already chattering away at Bitty, while Bitty laughs and nods. Guy must feel Jack watching them, because he turns, meeting Jack's eyes, and smiles. Small and only briefly, but it's enough.

"Yeah," Jack says, nudging Thirdy gently, " you did. Thank you." 

On the screen, Marty's team scores. Thirdy swears, and throws his controller at him.

**Author's Note:**

> Leo, watching Bitty and Jack kiss on the ice after the finals: Dramatic. I like their style.
> 
> Guy: *grunts*
> 
> Leo, consideringly: You know, we could—
> 
> Guy: No. *blushes and skates off, muttering under his breath, while Leo laughs at him*
> 
> There's a reblogable version of this [here](http://potrix-the-queerschlaeger.tumblr.com/post/155046748678/set-right-afterduring-the-latest-update-after) on tumblr. 
> 
> Go check out my other [work](http://archiveofourown.org/users/Potrix/works), or come over and say hi on [tumblr](http://potrix-the-queerschlaeger.tumblr.com).


End file.
